Faribault Chamber President Announces She’s Leaving the Post

Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism President Kymn Anderson told a meeting of their Board of Directors on Tuesday it's time for new leadership.

In an interview with KDHL on Wednesday after issuing a news release announcing her decision to the public, Anderson said she was "excited" to see what her successor has in store for the Chamber's next chapter.

The Board of Directors accepted Anderson's recommendation to leave at the end of the year and unanimously agreed to appoint Nort Johnson her successor.

Johnson came to Faribault two years ago to become the Tourism Director and Main Street Program Coordinator. Anderson said Johnson was, "overqualified for the position."

Anderson left KDHL to become the Chamber Executive Director in January 1999 and saw a number of changes over the years, including a title change to Chamber President.

Anderson also expressed to the board her desire to remain for a while in a different role. I asked her what that might be and she said she would continue working with the futures class and speculated there would be some other issues "bubble up" that could use her attention.

In the Chamber news release, board Chairman Nate Chappuis is quoted, "As the 2017 chair I would like to express my gratitude to Kymn for her mentorship to me, and the tireless hours she has worked and advocated for our Faribault community."

Anderson is proud of the growth of the Chamber in her years there and told the board, "The Chamber is in good shape. Our finances, staff strength, board engagement, member confidence and key relationships are strong."

I got the sense from our visit that she may be a bigger believer in the Chamber mission today than when she started in 1999.